TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Arrest Made In Fatal Hit And Run

ADVERTISEMENT

By YOLANDA FERNANDEZ | News Channel 8

Published: December 23, 2008

The hunt for a hit and run driver who left a young girl to die on the side of the road in Lake County last May has led authorities to Hillsborough County.

Deputies arrested 43-year-old Paul Wright on Monday.

Wright, of 11102 Curlew Court, is accused of driving the SUV that hit and killed 14-year-old Megan Hensley. The teen was walking at night on the side of a remote road near her home in Groveland, northwest of Orlando.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers say Wright didn't stop after he hit Hensley.

Investigators say Hensley might have survived her injuries if the driver had stopped and called for medical help immediately. "I don't know how you can live with yourself _ leaving her to die to bleed to death," said Hensley's mother, Rhonda Conrad upon hearing of the arrest.

The day after the hit and run, a tip led investigators to a Nissan SUV in Tampa with a damaged front end. Investigators also spoke to a woman who confirmed she was a passenger in the SUV when it struck Hensley.

Seven months later, tests finally showed Hensley's DNA was on front of the SUV, investigators said.

In the Hillsborough Sheriff's arrest report, Wright lists his occupation as a group advisor at Tampa Bay Academy in Riverview. Deputies arrested him there last night. A background check shows Wright has no significant criminal background and there's nothing unusual in his driving record.

Wright faces one count of leaving the scene of a crash involving death and one count of tampering with evidence. A judge set his bond at $22,000.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT